Home Again Home Again
by Bluewombat1113
Summary: A prequel of sorts to The Maze Runner. A year before the book takes place the glade welcomes a little girl that comes up in the box. She quickly learns all she can about the glade but is desperate for more information in the hopes of becoming a runner. Warning: spanking may be a small part of this series. Rated T for occasional strong language.
1. Chapter 1

Scout dragged her hand along the carvings in the wall. She couldn't read or write but she had traced her name so many times along this wall that she knew its shape. Her eyes darted to the name beside hers, Alex. He had arrived just after she had, a little over a year ago. He was much older then her and they had only spoken a hand full of times but he was funny and nice and gave her a wink when they crossed paths. His name had a long, thin line over it now. Gally had done that this morning, when he didn't come back. Scout kicked the wall hard with her right foot, for no particular reason other than she wanted to kick something. As she was going for her fourth kick a voice stilled her movement.

"How many times do I got to tell you that you ain't supposed to be over here?" Scout whipped her head around and stared at the speaker. Her eyes narrowed and she spread her legs wide apart as she glared.

"I'm not nowhere near the maze," she said defiantly, "Nothin's gonna get me over this dumb, old wall" she turned around and gave it another kick. Alby walked over and grabbed her arm, pulling her away. He crouched down and looked at her straight in the eyes for a few moments before sighing and wiping at his face.

"You don't know that for sure. You don't know much of anything about this place to be clear and when you…" Alby was cut off when the little girl squirmed out of his grasp.

"I've been here a whole year! And I sure as hell know more than those dumb boys who got their names crossed of the wall!" She yelled. Not waiting for Alby's response she lifted her legs of the ground and ran as fast as she could into the village. Not looking back to she his shock, or around to see if others had heard.

She had been running since she first got to the Glade. That was the first day that she remembered. Not even her name came back to her until the fourth day she had been there. It was Abigail, but the nickname Scout was given to her on her first day and she could bear to part from it. It made her feel like she was apart of something. Even though it seemed as though it was a long time ago, she remembered it as though it was yesterday. Being pulled up in a metal cage until she was sure she would smash through the ceiling. Then light. Blinding light that made her unable to see what was right ahead of her. She heard voices; none deep enough to be adults, then low, concerned whispers. They had never had a girl before, made out she was about six. She started to cry and back away when someone jumped into the cage and dragged her upward, squirming away when they reached the ground and running as fast as she could. She headed for the opening in what she would soon learn was the maze, but didn't make it very far before she felt a pair of hands lifting her up. She struggled in the grasp, but was met with harsh words that she couldn't make out over her sobbing. She thought she was dead for sure when they put her in the pit but was calmed when she met the other boys. Alby was so kind and gentle, told her he could be his helper, which made her smile. Newt would let her steal sugar snap peas from the garden and reassured her when she was scared. Chuck had become a fast friend and let her play with him when he wasn't helping Newt. Gally was slow to warm up to her and was kind unless she was in trouble, which seemed like most of the time.

She wasn't so fast then but she had gotten faster. Learning to weave between Gally's structures and Newt's gardens. Crossing into the forest and alone the wall. She knew every inch of this place. That was good, she thought, because she had forgotten everything else. Her curiosity had gotten her in trouble more than a few times. She had been made to sit in the pit for a timeout, given extra chores, and more then she would have liked to admit, felt a swift hand on her backside. The worst time was when…

Scout felt her arm brush something solid and it made her yelp in pain. She whipped her head around, holding her abused arm and saw Chuck looking at her questioningly. Chuck was the best friend that she had ever known, which might not be saying much but they got along ok. He was a lot older than she was but since he was the second youngest in the whole glade they didn't have much choice than to be friends.

Chuck continued to stare at her.

"Well?" he asked, "What'd you do". Scout looked at him and then rubbed her foot in the dirt a little, watching the dust float up into the sky.

"I didn't do any fucking thing!" She exclaimed pushing the dirt around aggressively. She saw Chuck bit his lip then kick her foot to knock it off the ground.

You're not supposed to say that" He reminded her weakly. Scout didn't care. She had been trapped in this place for over a year and had lost interest in following the rules, much to the annoyance of her fellow Gladers. Gally had threatened to feeder her to a Greaver more than once.

"Yeah I know" Chuck smiled then grabbing her arm and pointing in the direction of the tower.

"I found some rotten cabbage in the composed, wanna see if we can throw it over the wall?" Chuck always had crazy ideas of games and adventures for then to try, it suited her ok though. Chuck's smile faded when he looked up.

"No she doesn't." Scout looked over her shoulder to find Alby. He was staring down at them, arms crossed. "She's going to go over with me to the garden and sit in a time out where I can watch her while I work." Scout stomped her foot, unhappy about this preposition.

"I didn't do anything," she muttered under her breath. Alby chuckled and raised his eyebrows.

"Is that right? How about all the rules you broke huh? Don't go near the wall, don't lie to me, and don't ever run away from me when I'm talking to you".

"I'm practicing cause I'm gonna be a runner" Scout stated looking up at him. Alby sighed again and looked more annoyed then before.

"No you are not" he said forcefully, "You are going to go take a timeout and then you are going to do your chores," Scout went to open her mouth then quickly shut it again when she saw the look on the older boys face. She huffed in responce, lowering her head over her crossed arms in defeat. She began to march after Alby as he led the way.

"See ya Chuck" Scout called over her shoulder. He offered a small wave in return as she set off to serve her time.


	2. Chapter 2

The evening was quiet. The Gladers each worked on their specific duty, tending to the animals, cleaning the kitchen, preparing the meals. The sun was setting and the Runners were expected back soon.

When Scout first arrived in the Glade they allowed her to try her share of all the different jobs out with the keepers. Something always stuck but nothing did for Scout. She flatly refused to clean up for all of the boys, she wasn't tall enough to pick the food, not patient enough for gardening, or strong enough to build, and the slaughterhouse had made her cry so hard that she was allowed to quit after just 20 minutes. After that she was nothing. She had no job, no real duties. She was the youngest Glader and the only girl; no one knew what to do with her. She spent her days tagging a long with one of the older boys or wandering the Glade, always underfoot. She knew every single inch of the whole area and still she was not satisfied. She wanted to explore beyond. She wanted to be a Runner. Not only would being a runner allow her to figure out what lay beyond the maze, but it also presented her with the opportunity to make a difference. She wanted to feel like she was helping, contributing as much as she took away.

The first time she really got close to the Maze was a month after she arrived. She had gone near it before, and warned of the dangers, but never as close as she dared that day. After the Runners had left, she walked towards the doors slowly, making sure no one would notice. When she reached the doors she simply stared inside, too awestruck to move. Two high walls lead the way inside until they split off in all different directions. The tops of the walls became jagged, and adjusted to all different heights. She saw the ivy twist and turn along the stone and wondered if it would hold enough for her to hoist herself up. After a few moments she began to walk closer, pressing her hand against the smooth stone, and trailing her hand until it reached inside. Tentatively, she began to move her body to follow. Her foot just skimmed the ground when she felt a hand grab onto her roughly and pull her backwards. Using enough strength to knock her to the ground. She only got a quick glance at Gally's scowling face before he dragged her over his shoulder, yelling at her about what a dumb shuck she was. He brought her over to a stump near the forest and spanked her until she went limp in his lap, and began to cry uncontrollably. She ran to tell Alby and Newt, but they had no sympathy, and Chuck only laughed.

Scout leaned her back against the post behind her and rhythmically tapped her head onto it. She stared sideways at Alby as he worked.

"Am I done yet?" She asked, doing her best to not let boredom leak into her tone. He glanced up, sweat streaked his face and in his attempted to wipe it away, the dirt from his hands were transferred over. Alby leaned against the rake that he was using and huffed a little, catching his breath. He looked at her shaking his head upward and than glancing down at the ground again.

Scout jumped up quickly, racing around the buildings, wondering if Chuck had saved any of the old cabbage for her. If Chuck were done cleaning for today he would probably be up in the look out tower, that's where they always knew to look for each other. Reaching the ladder, she began to climb it as fast as she could. Almost breaking a rung as she went up.

She heard someone shout at her below and peered through the empty space between the rungs to figure out who it could be.

She saw Gally standing below with his hands on his hips and a permanent scowl on his face.

"Watch what you're doing you little shuck," he yelled up at her, "I built that. You break it and I'll through you of the shucking cliff!" Scout huffed; she hated his constant nagging and stupid attitude.

"Maybe if you learned to build better shuck face" Scout muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" She heard his shrill reply.

"I said alright already!" She called down, scrambling to make her way up the latter and find her friend.

Chuck was sitting on the very edge of the tower. His feet dangled off the edge and a pile of limp, brown cabbage was piled to his side. She noticed he appeared to be playing with what looked like a homemade slingshot. It wasn't much, two sticks tied together with some grass, and a kitchen spoon in between.

"Frypan know you took that spoon?" Scout asked, sitting down next to her friend.

"Ahh" Chuck grinned at her, twirling the contraption around in his hands, "he wont miss it." Chuck looked at her and gave her a rye smile, "I heard what you said to Gally". He shoved her a little with his shoulder.

"I hate that stupid shuck." She said forcefully. Chuck laughed out lowed.

"You're just mad cause he spanked you" Chuck loved to bring up that story any chance he got. Scout whipped her face around towards him.

"You just better shut you're mouth before I throw you off his tower." Chuck was now in a fit of giggles, rolling around beside her.

"You…haha…you do and Alby'll spank you" he huffed out between laughs. Scout stood up from her spot. She gave Chuck a strong kick to his stomach but it wasn't enough to cease his laughter. She began to make her way down the ladder now, furious at Chuck and his stupid jokes.

"You're just a shuck face!" She called up to him, "You're all just a bunch of stupid shucks".

Making her way to the ground, she went to find a perfect tree to climb to try and see the maze.


	3. Chapter 3

Scout stood next in line. She bounced on her heals and her arms shook in nervous anticipation.

The Gladers all stood in one large line, most gathered in clusters, laughing and pushing each other around. Scout could hear Newt and Minho behind her, speaking in hushed whispers about what they had seen in the Maze that day. Scout decided not to concern herself with that, at least not for now. She brought her eyes back to the chair in front of her and began bouncing from foot to foot. She watched as Alby stood up and then strode off in the direction of the Homestead.

Scout scrambled up into the waiting chair and placed her hands neatly in her lap. Frypan stood in front of her with a sharpened knife; he smiled and raised his eyebrows at her apparent eagerness. She looked at him then raised her shoulders up a little, trying her best to look older.

Frypan grabbed a lock of her muddy brown hair in between his fingers and brought the knife in close, pointing away from her neck. Scout shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Wait!" she called out frantically, an idea coming into her mind. Frypan stood frozen, surprised by her sudden outburst. Several of the boys in the front of the line stopped their conversations as well and she could feel Newt's eyes suddenly focused on the back of her head.

Scout looked up at Frypan, fidgeting with her hands and worrying away at her lip. He looked down at her expectantly.

"I want you to cut it all off" she stated, a little too loud and a little too quickly. Frypan's eyes grew wide as she watched him burst into laughter.

"You want me to do what?" Scout worked her eyebrows together and felt her face flush a bright pink.

"I want you to cut it all off" she repeated, "If I'm gonna be a runner I can't have it bein' in my face the whole time" she added, becoming distressed. Frypan kept his smirk on his face, looking down into her blue eyes.

"But you're a girl" he reminded he, giving her hair a little tug. She pulled away from him and slapped his hands away. She began to feel the warning signs of tears pricking at her eyes. She felt anger build up inside her, and felt her hand shoot up to grip his knife.

"If you won't do it then I'll just do it myself!" Scout exclaimed. Frypan had easily maneuvered the knife out of her hand and was now holding it slightly above her head, out of arms reach. Scout began to jump up and down in an attempt to grasp it, becoming infuriated at Frypan's entertained giggles.

Scout heard a voice behind her.

"Alright that's enough." Her body automatically sat back down in her chair, and only a faint smile was left on Frypan's lips. Scout saw as Newt came to stand in front of them both, forgetting that he had been standing behind her the entire time.

"What's going on?" Newt asked, shifting his gaze between their two faces. Scout's eyes were glued to the floor; she hugged her arms tightly and brushed away the few tears that had managed to escape.

"Frypan wont cut my hair" Scout whined softly, she felt Newt turn his head in her direction but she still would not look up. She heard Frypan scoff but saw Newt hold up a hand to silence him.

"Now I know that's not true," Newt reported, although his voice had softened some.

"She says she wants me to cut it ALL off" Frypan said in a mocking tone. Scout felt her shoulders slump down as she let out a huff. Newt sighed.

"He's not gonna cut all you're…" Scout didn't let him finish.

"Then I'll just do it myself!" she snapped, making her point by stamping her foot against the ground. Newt just stared at her, his arms crossed against his chest and his eyebrows knitting together. "If I'm gonna be a runner I can't have…" this time Scout was the one being cut off.

"Again with this runner klank!" Scout slipped down a little more in her chair, Newt didn't usually yell. "You're seven years old for crying out loud, and you're a girl," he added, "you go out there and you're dead in the first five minutes". She shifted in her seat. "Is that what you want?" he asked, "huh?" Scout shook her head furiously in both directions and felt as real tears began cascading down her face.

"I am gonna be a runner! I am I am I am" she chanted in between sobs. Newt looked a little taken back and Frypan just twirled the knife around in his hand. The boys behind them had quieted and Scout did her best to reign in her sobbing.

"You just forget about his runner stuff for now and let Frypan cut your hair or I'll let you go have a little talk with Alby" Newt explained. "And then you can come back and let Frypan cut your hair, understood?," he added when he saw her begin to open her mouth.

Scout kicked at the ground with a scowl on her face, wearing her shoes into the thick, yellow dust. She felt a large hand cup her face and bring it upward. Newt's face was staring right into hers, his eyebrows raised far above their usual position.

"Understood?" he asked again, this time assuring that Scout would answer.

Scout thought about her next move for what seemed like minutes, before she made the entirely wrong one.

Wadding up all her saliva in her mouth, like Chuck had taught her to do off of the lookout tower, Scout put all her might into spitting a particularly large amount of it right into Newt's face.

"No!" Scout insisted as she quickly twisted out of his grasp, and ran sobbing into the thick, dark woods.


	4. Chapter 4

Scout scrunched up her face as she rested her head on her hands. She balanced on top of long, slender branch, high up in one of the trees overlooking the Glade. A beetle blade flicked past her line of vision and she found herself gripping on extra tight with her legs in order to not to fall off.

The line of boys had now dispersed, and they had all returned to their designated jobs. The runners would be back any minute now and Scout was starting to get wary. She knew she had to eventually come down, but was not ready to deal with the repercussions. She hadn't seen Newt since she had run away from him. Once she had positioned herself on the tree he had already gone inside the homestead and had not came out since. She wondered how cross he was at her. Sure she had misbehaved and ran away many of times, but never had she dared to take a stance against one of the older boys, let alone spit in their face. She began tapping her foot on the branch rhythmically and after a while began humming a tune she had made up. After a minute or two she head a rustle, then a crunch of leaves below her. Scout sat up straight, and grabbed for the small knife she had stolen from Ben.

"Who's there?" she dared bravely, bracing herself against the branch. She heard a grunt below her, then a frustrated shout.

"How the hell did you get up there?" She heard Chuck's voice call from below. Scout sighed, Chuck was a good buddy and an even better sidekick, but when it came to adventuring he was better left at home.

"There's a knot in the tree just above where the branches split off slint head," Scout admonished. She heard his grunts slowly get louder until the top of his head appeared beside her. He grinned up at her.

"Boy are you in trouble," he reported making the final adjustments to sit right next to her. Scout suddenly became fascinated with the scabs on her fingers.

"How mad is he?" she inquired, fidgeting a little. She saw Chuck raise his eyebrows, then scoff.

"Are you kidding?" asked said incredulously. Scout said nothing, they both looked out at the sun setting over the Glade for a few moments. When Chuck broke the silence it was barely a whisper.

"Gally said something about kicking you out," he swung his legs around a little in the air, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation. Scout looked at him right in the face, her eyes as big as dinner plates. She felt as though she had just been struck in the stomach.

"Like banishment?! You don't think their gonna do that Chuck do you? They can't do that right?!" Scout asked, starting to panic. Chuck remained a little too quiet. She wanted him to laugh, tell her of course not, they would never banish her, tell her what a dumb shuck idea that was, but he said nothing.

Finally he took a long, slow breath, refusing to look her in the eyes.

"I dunno, I mean you have been causing a lot of trouble lately, and you wont listen to directions, it's making it harder for everyone to do their job." Scout just sat still, eyes starting outward.

So they wanted to banish her? That was fine, she had seen it done plenty of times. She'd show them, if they didn't want her that was just fine with her.

Scout felt a cold shiver run up and down her spine. No one had ever survived a night in the maze.

Scout looked at Chuck. Her mouth was set in a tight line, and she lowered her eyebrows in seriousness.

"Then it's settled," She placed her hands in her lap and Chuck looked at her expectantly, "I'll just never come down." Chuck gave her a sideways expression.

"You're crazy," he announced, looking at her like she'd just grown a third eye.

"Think about it Chuck, if I come down they banish me, but as long as I stay up here, I'm safe," she reasoned, "I'll just need you to bring me rations everyday."

Chuck scoffed, "Fat chance. Nobody likes me anyway, if I start helping a runaway how do you think they'll all fell about me then?" Scout crossed her arms across her chest.

"Fine I'll do it on my own," she retorted, "I'll just eat bugs and leaves all day and you'll all be sorry." She shouted as Chuck started to climb back down to the ground.

"I'm gonna tell Newt you're up here. He's been looking for ya." Chuck responded calmly. Scout whipped her head around to look at her friend.

"Traitor!" she called after him.

It had been some number of minutes since Chuck had left and Scout was starting to really panic. She didn't know what happened to the boys in the maze, but no one ever survived a night. If they banished her out there it would be like Newt had said, she wouldn't last five minutes.

Scout, who usually swore off the action completely, began to cry in earnest for the second time that day. She knew she had been bad, really really bad, but she hadn't meant to. She was really honestly truly trying to do the best that she could.

She wasn't able to get her crying under control until she heard footsteps. She sucked in one big gulp of air and tried her best to be quit. Someone stopped right underneath the tree. She heard Newt clear his throat and the rustling of leaves below suggested that there were several other boys with him as well. They must be coming to tell her their going to be banishing her. Scout's mind raced.

"That's enough hiding it's time to come down." Scout heard Newt announce. He sounded tired and in desperate need of a break, but Scout wouldn't give up that easily.

"No!" she called back down to him. Refusing to budge.

"God damnit," Scout heard him whisper under his breath, exasperated. She heard the other boys say a few things back, but she couldn't make out the exact words.

Scout was expecting more of a fight but was surprised when the footsteps began to retreat.

"Fine," she heard him say, "Stay up hear all night if you want to!" Soon their footsteps became inaudible and Scout was left up in the dark tree alone once more.


	5. Chapter 5

The darkness was encroaching fast over the Glade. Scout moved her hands up to her mouth and began to chew on her fingernails. There was still a light glow from the fire down below her, but the voices of the boys had died down some.

As she saw some of the boys slowly make their way to the homestead, she wondered if they would really leave her up here all night. Alby had told her of the kind of things that could happen if you wandered alone at night. Scout had even seen it herself on occasion. Maybe this is how they were planning on getting rid of her. Chuck had she was such a problem. If she wouldn't come down they must just be waiting for her to just die up here. She had reckoned originally that whatever she would face in the maze was worse than anything in the Glade, but now she wasn't so sure.

Scout was just beginning to wonder if the Greevers could climb over the walls when she heard a soft rustle in the bushes below her. She felt herself freeze. She slowly moved her hands away from her mouth and reached for the knife in her pocket. She heard the rustle again, this time it was accompanied by a high-pitched moan. Scout lost all sense of calmness and let out a scream of her own, leaping from the tree and starting to sprint towards the Glade.

As she finally reached the fire she noticed that only Newt and Ben were still up. Running at full force she all but crashed into Newt from behind.

"What the hell?" she heard him exclaim, trying his best to turn around and face her while she was clawing to grab onto his chest.

"There's a monster in the woods!" Scout sobbed out as she pressed her face into Newt's stomach. She heard him let out a sigh like he didn't believe her. Ben stood up behind her.

"I'll go check it out" Ben announced and Scout sensed Newt nod. Right after Ben had left them alone Scout felt her arms being pulled off the older boy, much to her disappointment. She struggled slightly as he placed her to sit down on the log under him but stilled as she saw his expression. He said nothing, just stood over and pointed straight at her, daring her to move. Scout felt tears trickle down her face and this time, made no attempt to wipe them away.

Ben returned a minute later, leading a goat by a rope out of the forest and placing it back into its pen. Newt's face did not even twitch as Ben walked past, raising his eyebrows at Newt and shaking his head a little as he turned to head into the homestead.

Newt reacted with lightning fast reflexes, moving just as Ben had shut the door. Grabbing onto Scout he lifted her upwards, using an arm to press Scout into his leg then leaning down to swat at Scout's butt with the other hand.

Initially, Scout was stunned, but quickly sprang into action when she realized what was happening. She began to reach her hands behind her frantically, in an attempt to shield herself, but found that Newt would only quickly move them away again.

"No! NO! Don't!" Scout whined, not caring that she had begun to sob. Newt, on the other hand, showed no signs of stopping. One of Scout's fears crept back into her head at that moment and she felt unable to stop it from being blurted out.

"Don't send me away!" she whispered through her tears. Scout felt his hand still as her body was peeled away from his.

Newt took her squarely by the shoulders, "What did you just say?" he asked, although his voice was still laced with annoyance.

"Chuck said you were going to banish me cause I've been causin' so much trouble but…I'm…I'm sorry I didn't mean to!," Scout announced, shaking slightly. Newt scoffed, letting go of her shoulders and laughing to himself a little.

"Jesus Christ," Newt shook his head, "No one is getting banished. Unless you've decided to kill someone with that knife you took off Ben." He raised his eyebrows and held out his hand, where Scout reluctantly dropped the knife. Scout still felt confused.

"But Chuck said..." Newt cut her off angrily.

"Yeah well Chuck's a little slint head." He snapped. He rubbed his palm across his face warily in an attempt to calm himself down. "You can't keep running away Scout, you do and you're gonna get yourself killed." Scout suddenly slammed her fist against the log she sat on.

"Who cares?! People die here all the time! You'd probably like it too, then you wouldn't have to look after me all the time." She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes as she said it. Newt paused and she heard his breath began to slow.

"You're special Scout, don't you know that?" she looked up at him, "You're the only girl they've ever sent up and you're younger than everyone in this place. Don't you know that that means something?" Newt asked her incredulously.

"What if I don't want to be special?" Scout whispered, standing up to face him. Newt placed a comforting hand on her back and pushed her towards the homestead.

"Go to bed Scout." Newt insisted, and she couldn't find it in herself to refuse.


	6. Announcements!

I'll be posting a new chapter very soon but first some announcements!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while I've just been supper busy with school and friends but Gahh! You guys are literally the best. Thank you so much for all your support in writing this story! I'm not really too sure where I want to go with it next or what kind of things you guys have wanted to see. Little and big suggestions are welcome! Please please please leave a review with some suggestions! I'll be brainstorming also obviously, but just thought it would be so fun if we could write this story together!

On an unrelated note I also really want to start opening up prompts so if you have a story you want me to write just message me a prompt! XO


	7. Chapter 6

I literally love you all so much for reading and supporting this story! So sorry that this has taken me so long! Hope you enjoy and comment your thoughts and if you would like to see another chapter!

By the time Scout woke up the Glade was already alive with activity. She could hear Frypan banging things together in the kitchen, Gally yelling at the new greenie, and Chuck's bright, sweet laugh.

It wasn't uncommon for Scout to be the first one up. In fact, it happened so often that she had taken to running around the entire Glade a few times to 'Scout' out the surroundings, hence her nickname. It was also not uncommon for Scout to find herself in a bit of trouble for doing so.

Scout pushed herself off the knitted hammock, feeling as slight sting as the material grazed her sore backside. Standing up she looked around, noticing that all the other hammocks were emptied, what time was it? How long had she slept? Making her way outside, Scout had to put her hands in front of her face to allow her eyes to adjust to the bright sun. She jumped when feeling a hand on her shoulder, rubbing at her eyes in order to see who the stranger was.

Alby chuckled at the little girls reaction. Her hair was matted up on top of her head, creating a mane around her face. A year ago Minho had fixed her a brush out of a few branches and a piece of wood from an animal crate. It had worked for a while but then mysteriously disappeared when it was used on her bottom after a particularly horrendous tantrum. Now Scouts hair was a ratted mess most of the time, brushed out only when Scout and Chuck would sit quietly by the fire before bed, with Chuck absentmindedly picking out all the dirt and twigs from her long hair.

Alby crouched down to look at the little girl who had now regained her sight. He sighed, looking at her with raised eyebrow.

"I heard you got you got yourself in a bit of trouble last night didn't you" Alby said, wrapping his arms around her small frame and lightly tapping at her bottom.

Scout pouted and pushed his hands away, "I didn't mean to…" she muttered under her breath, refusing to look up at him.

Alby stood up, looking down at her with softer eyes, "I know," he agreed, "but no more running away after dark, you here me?" he said, raising a questioning finger at her.

"Yeah Alby" she acknowledged, a second later her face lit up and she found herself running in the opposite direction, "I gotta go find Chuck!" she called, "see ya Alby!" Alby scoffed and chuckled to himself at the same time, knowing that was the closest thing to an understanding he was likely to get.

Running through the Glade, Scout looked around for her chubby, cherub looking friend. Looking through the kitchens, the builder's huts, and being chased out of the gardens, Scout finally found Chuck down by the creek, washing pans from the kitchen.

Chuck was humming the tune of a song that Newt would sing on nights that he would drink too much of Gally's special recipe, jumping around and allowing Scout to climb on his back on occasion.

"_The fox went out on a chilly night, _

_He prayed for the moon to give him light, _

_For he'd many a mile to go that night,_

_Before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o, _

_He'd many a mile to go that night, _

_Before he reached the town-o. _

_He ran til he came to a great big pen,_

_Where the ducks and the geese were put therein, _

_"A couple of you will grease my chin, _

_Before I leave this town-o, town-o, town-o, _

_A couple of you will grease my chin,_

_Before I leave this town-o." _

_He grabbed the gray goose by the neck,_

_He threw a duck across his back,_

_He didn't mind their quack, quack, quack,_

_And their legs a-dangling down-o, down-o, down-o, _

_He didn't mind their quack, quack, quack,_

_And their legs a-dangling down-o. _

_Then old Mother Flipper-Flopper jumped out of bed, _

_Out of the window she cocked her head,_

_Crying, "John, John! The gray goose is gone, _

_And the fox is on the town-o, town-o, town-o!"_

_Crying, "John, John! The gray goose is gone, _

_And the fox is on the town-o!" _

_Then John, he went to the top of the hill, _

_Blowed his horn both loud and shrill, _

_The fox he said, "I better flee with my kill, _

_Or they'll soon be on my trail-o, trail-o, trail-o!" _

_The fox he said, "I better flee with my kill, _

_Or they'll soon be on my trail-o!" _

_He ran till he came to his cozy den, _

_There were the little ones, eight, nine, ten, _

_They said, "Daddy, better go back again, _

_'Cause it must be a mighty fine town-o, town-o, town-o!"_

_They said, "Daddy, better go back again, _

_'Cause it must be a mighty fine town-o! _

_Then the fox and his wife without any strife, _

_Cut up the goose with a fork and knife, _

_They never had such a supper in their life, _

_And the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o, _

_They never had such a supper in their life,_

_And the little ones chewed on the bones-o."_

It was enough to give Scout the chills. When Newt sung it he had always done so so cheerfully, giggling and dancing about, but watching Chuck quietly hum the song while sitting by the creek in the dark forest suddenly gave it a different meaning, and Scout didn't so much like this version. She fidgeted nervously, wondering if she should go back.

"Scout?" her name was enough to snap her out of her anxiety.

"I…" she faltered, "I just came down to see ya, I wasn't watching you or nothing".

Chuck smiled, "Ya I know, wanna help?" Quickly Scout hurried down the hill and grabbed the pot that Chuck was holding out to her, stopping short to give him a good smack on the head.

"Owww!" Chuck exclaimed, reaching his hand back to cup at his abused scalp, "wha' was that for?!"

Scout stuck her tongue out to him and made an obnoxious face, "You told on me yesterday you little shuck, I'm not going to play Greaver and runner with you anymore…" she added under her breath. Chuck looked down, ashamed.

"Only cause I didn't want you to get hurt, come on you promised me you let me be the Greaver today, you always catch me too fast when I'm the runner". Greaver and runner was a game that they had made up years ago. It was a simple idea that almost exactly mirrored the game tag, only in their version, one person was the Greaver and one person the runner. If the Greaver eventually caught up with the runner, it would result in a dramatic death scene that involved the runner falling to the ground, frothing from the mouth and then eventually lying still until the Greaver claimed victory. Some of the other boys would frown down at them for it, but it was one of Chuck and Scouts favorite games.

As mad as Scout had become by Chuck's actions yesterday, she found it impossible to ignore his pleading eyes and regretful posture. He was a stupid shuck but she loved him.

"Fine." Scout stated, "but if you don't catch me you have to do all my chores for this whole week," she challenged.

Chuck let out a rye smile, then bit his lip saying shyly, "If I win you have to marry me when we're big".

Scout shoved her friend so he stumbled a little in the creek, "You won't catch me shank!" She called behind, running out of the forest and into the glade.

"You just watch," Chuck called after her, laughing. Scout was faster than Chuck, that much was clear, but Scout's task was to find a hiding spot to wait Chuck out as he search around, that was most important when facing a Greaver.

Scout had slept so long that it had already started to get dark. She heard the quiet chatter from the workers in the Glade and the steady gusts of wind flowing through the woods. Scout smiled as she brushed her hand against the wall as she ran, getting farther and farther from Chuck's sight. She had to win, she couldn't marry Chuck! Yuck! Sure they were best buddies but boys were gross and she didn't want to have to take care of him all the time.

Reaching the opening to the maze, Scout ran through just to the very opening of it. This way she could hide from Chuck but if she spotted anyone coming she could quickly duck out, avoiding the harsh punishment that came with entering the maze.

Scout giggled as she heard Chuck come closer, his coughing and heavy panting revealing himself. Chuck put his hand up to the wall as he tried to steady himself, causing the wall to shake somewhat. The movement startled Scout but wasn't enough to stir her from her hiding place. The wall shook again and again, and Scout became annoyed.

"Stop Chuck," she told him, as she was starting to get frightened.

"What?!" She heard him call to her. It was then that Scout realized it was not her friend that was making the wall shake but the wall itself. Scout began to panic as the walls began to close. She tried to escape feverishly but quickly found that her hair had become entangled in one of the vines wrapping around the wall.

"Chuck! Chuck!" she called out, "I'm stuck help me!" The walls were almost completely shut now, sealing Scout in a concrete tomb. The walls rattled as they made there way towards each other and Scout closed her eyes as the bang of the doors closing echoed around her.

"Scout…" she heard a small voice. She opened her eyes and saw Chuck, her Chuck, her best friend in the entire world had locked himself in the maze as well, following her cries. He look frightened, almost confused at to what he had done. Chuck now realized just as much as Scout that there was no escape, they were both certainly going to die. No one had ever last the night in the maze.

Scout burst into tears as her friend helped free her from the vine.

"I'm sorry Chuck I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I'll marry you I'll marry you I'm sorry!" she sobbed as he clutched onto him. Chuck was silent for a few moments. "Shhh…" he whispered almost inaudibly as his breathing grew heavier. Then they heard the familiar click click click of a Greaver's feet on concrete.

In the morning when the doors would open the entire Glade would be waiting there, hoping that there was some tiny chance of survival for the two smallest members of the camp. They stood ridged as the walls began to creak open. Alby did not wait for the others, and as soon as there was enough room he shoved himself into the maze. His hand covered his mouth and he stared down in horror. Chuck's eyes were glazed as they stared up at the sky, a tiny trickle of blood, came out of the corner of his lips, a Greaver leg lodged into his abdomen. He lay on Scouts lap as she stared down at him, petting his curls and not daring to look away. She was crying and singing a tune that Alby recognized.

"_Then the fox and his wife without any strife, _

_Cut up the goose with a fork and knife, _

_They never had such a supper in their life, _

_And the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o, _

_They never had such a supper in their life,_

_And the little ones chewed on the bones-o."_


	8. Chapter 7

"Scout..." came a faint call.

"Scout!" another sharper voice broke through the haze.

"Did she wet the bed?" someone asked while another one snickered.

"Shut up." The sharper voice called back again. Scout felt a large calloused hand wiping away at the hair and sweat that had stuck together on the sides of her face.

"Chuck…chuck," Scout murmured in a panic, remembering the fate of her best friend. Tilting her head side-to-side and beginning to fall into hysterics. Bringing up her fists to rub at her face in a fit she felt her arms being grabbed by strong hands, bringing them away from her face. "No! No!," she screamed trying to squirm away from her capture, but only felt herself being pulled closer in.

"ShhhssSSshhh" Newt whispered in a voice that sounded both sympathetic and demanding at the same time. Scout opened her eyes for the first time, looking at Newt and the others around him, including a very worried looking Alby.

"I…I dint me…mean to…" Scout confessed as the sobbing continued, Alby's brows furrowed.

"Didn't mean to do what baby?" he asked quietly, stepping closer to the bed. Scout looked over at him, confused, 'did he not know? Was that why he was being so kind to me?'

"We went into the maze…"

"You went into the maze?!" Alby was now shouting. "God damn it! You and who," he asked, "You and Chuck?" hearing the name again made Scout want to scream but somehow she managed to whisper out a small 'yes'. Before Scout had time to explain however she heard a loud grunt of protest.

"Did not!" came a shout, causing all eyes in the room to be redirected to the open door of the tent. There stood a defiant looking Chuck, arms crossed over his chest and lip wobbling slightly. Scout did not know whether to cry out of confusion, fear or relief, but it seemed to be all three as she finally looked at her best friend.

"You shuck head! I didn't go into the maze! You were up in that stupid tree all yesterday, how would we have been able to go into the maze with you and your stupid shuck fac…" Chuck would have undoubtedly continued but Alby stopped him mid sentence.

"That's enough Chuck" Alby admonished. Giving Chuck a stern look while Chuck only maintained his angry glare.

"She's only just try'na get me in trouble cause she got her butt smacked yesterday and she thinks it's my fault." Newt raised an eyebrow at this and made Chuck avoid his gaze, "I wasn't ease dropping so much…only just listening" he responded to his accidental incrimination of himself.

"Get out of her you little shank" Newt said calmly, as he watched Chuck scramble away.

Scout looked down trying to get her thoughts in order. Holding onto the fear that Chuck was really gone and attempting to figure out how he could really be here.

"Alby," she said looking up into the older mans eyes, "I had a dream…I had a really weird dream…" Alby sighed rubbing at his face a little.

"I know sweetheart," he comforted moving closer so that he know sat on the edge of her bed. "It might have been from you staying up in the tree all day yesterday, exhaustion or dehydration I don't know…" he trailed off. His eyes snapped back up to look at her, as if he had just remembered his train of thought, "But you're ok now sweetheart, you're safe," he explained, picking Scout up and moving her off the bed. He began to collect her soiled blankets and Scouts face began to flush a bright shade of red.

Alby then director her to the creek so that she could wash up, which she happily obliged. Though a sense of relief flowed through Scout, for the first time sense her arrival Scout got an odd feeling, something was not right.


End file.
